Vacuum door mat



Nov. Z0, 1962 l.. M. JONES 3,064,298

VACUUM DOOR MAT Filed March 30, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Lara M. Jones INVENTOR.

Stat

This invention relates to a novel and useful vacuum door mat and moreparticularly to a door mat provided with brush means and motorizedblower means for efecting a partial Vacuum whereby the soil removed fromshoes by the brush means may be drawn to a suitable collection point.

The vacuum door mat of the instant invention includes a mounting frameadapted to be recessed in an opening in a section of flooring and themounting frame includes pressure sensitive switch means for actuatingthe motor means of the blower means in response to weight being placedupon the mounting frame.

In addition to being provided with means for effecting a vacuum in orderto draw o the soil removed from shoes by the brush means, the vacuumdoor mat also includes blower means including an electrical heating ele*ment for exhausting heated air whereby snow and ice may be melted fromshoes positioned on the door mat. The brush means of the oor matcomprises a plurality of baralike brush heads extending transverselyacross the mounting frame and each of the brush heads is provided withupwardly extending bristle means for engagement with the undersurface ofa shoe or the like placed on the door mat. Still further, the mountingframe is provided with a pair of inwardly directed opposing elongatedbrush members extending along opposite marginal edge portions of themounting frame and these elongated brush members project above the brushheads extending transversely of the mounting frame whereby the elongatedbrush members may be utilized to remove dirt from the sides of shoessupported by the door mat.

The mounting frame comprises an open top receptacle having opposite sideand end walls connected together at their lower ends by means of aninclined bottom wall inclining downwardly toward the rear end of thereceptacle. The vacuum blower means is communicated with the lower rearend of the receptacle and the flat harslike brush heads extendingtransversely of the mounting frame are inclined about their longitudinalaxes and have their side edges disposed in overlapping and verticallyspaced relation relative to the adjacent side edges of adjacent bar-likeheads.

The main object of this invention is to provide a vacuum door matspecifically adapted to remove and collect dirt from the sides andbottom surfaces of shoes positioned on the door mat.

A further object of this invention, in accordance with the immediatelypreceding object, is to provide a Vacuum door mat adapted to also directa discharge of heated air upwardly through the forward end portion ofthe door mat whereby ice and snow clinging to shoes positioned on thedoor mat may be melted.

A still further object of this invention is to provide an actuatingswitch for the motor means utilized as a power source for the blower andvacuum means specifically adapted to be actuated in response to weightbeing disposed on the door mat.

A final object to be specifically enumerated herein is to provide avacuum door mat which will conform to conventional forms of manufacture,be of simple construction and automatic in operation so as to provide adevice that will be economically feasible, long lasting and relativelytrouble free in operation.

rI'hese together with other objects and advantages which will becomesubsequently apparent reside in the details Aice of construction andoperation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, whereinlike numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIGURE l is a perspective View of the vacuum door mat shown recessed inan opening in a section of flooring;

FiGURE 2 is an enlarged longitudinal vertical sectional view takensubstantially upon the plane indicated by the section line 2 2 of FIGUREl; and

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged transverse vertical sectional view takensubstantially upon the plane indicated by the section line 3 3 of FIGURE2.

Referring now more specically to the drawings, the numeral itl generallydesignates a section of flooring in which there has been formed anopening 12. The vacuum door mat of the instant invention is generallydesignated by the reference numeral 14 and includes a mounting framegenerally referred to by the reference numeral 3.6, The mounting frame16 includes opposite end walls 18 and 20 and opposite side walls 21 and22. The end Walls 18 and 2t) and the side walls 21 and 22 areinterconnected at their lower ends by means of an inclined bottom wall24. The bottom wall 24 is inclined downwardly toward the rear end of theframe 16.

The frame 16 is secured within the opening 12 by means of suitablefasteners 26 secured through the side walls 21 and 22 and engaged withthe ooring supporting joists 23.

The frame 16 includes a plurality of elongated and flat bar-like heads3Q which are secured between the opposite side marginal portions of theframe 16 in any convenient manner. The bar-like heads 3i) are disposedin side-by-side relation and are downwardly inclined toward the rear endof the frame 16. It will be noted that the side edges of each head 30overlap and are vertically spaced from the adjacent side edges ofadjacent heads 3@ whereby air intake slots 32 are formed betweenadjacent heads l. Each of the heads 3] includes a plurality of brushbristles 3dwhich extend upwardly therefrom and are adapted to engage theundersurfaces of shoes and the like supported by the frame 16.

The frame 16 includes opposite side horizontally disposed marginal edgemembers 36 and opposite edge marginal edge members 3S. Each of themarginal edge members 36 has an elongated and inwardly directed brushmember generally referred to by the reference numeral 38 fixedly securedthereto by means of fasteners 4l?. Each of the brush members 38 includesa plurality of inwardly directed bristle members 42 which are adapted toengage the sides of shoes and the like supported by the frame 16 inorder to remove dirt from the side surfaces of the shoes. Accordingly,it may be observed that the bristle members 34 and 42 may be utilized tobrush soil from the under-surfaces and side surfaces respectively ofshoes and the like supported by the frame 16. The rear end of the frame16 has a transversely extending plate 44 secured thereacross and theplate 44 includes a pair of apertured plug members y'46 which alsoinclude upwardly extending bristle members 48. ln addition, the plate 44also includes a plurality of apertures 50 and a plurality of upwardlydirected bristle elements 52.

The central portion of the lower edge of the rear wall 2d is providedwith an outlet opening 54 and a vacuum blower assembly generallyreferred to by the reference numeral 56 includes an inlet conduit 5Sopening into the receptacle by means of the outlet opening 54. Theblower assembly 56 includes an outlet neck portion 6l) whose free end isprovided with a dirt trap or receptacle 62. It is to be understood thatin place of the receptacle 62 a discharge conduit could be secured tothe neck portion 60 having an outlet end located eXteriorly of thebuilding in which the flooring section 10 is disposed.

The blower assembly 56 is provided with a rotatably suported blowerblade assembly 64 which includes a driving pulley 66 that is drivinglyconnected to a driving pulley 68 connected to the blower assembly 70.The pulleys 66 and 68 are drivingly connected by means of an endlessflexible belt 72 and it will be noted that the pulley 68 isY secured toone end of a driving shaft 74 extending through therear end of theeiectric motor 76. The electric motor 76 comprises the motive force forthe blower blade 78 carried by the end of the shaft 74 remote from thepulley 68. The blower assembly 70 may be provided with any suitableinlet means and it includes a discharge conduit generally referred tobythe reference numeral 8i) having an electrical heating element 82disposed therein. The outletconduit Si? includes two branch `conduits $4which terminate at their free ends in funnel-like end portions 86 whosemajor diameter portions snugly receive the plug members 46. Accordingly,the branch conduits 84 deliver lheated air to the apertured plug members46. ln this manner, heated -air may be used to melt accumulated snow andice from the soles of shoes positioned over the plate 44.

The electric motor 76 is operatively connected to any suitable source ofelectrical potential by means of conductors S8 and 9i) and a pressuresensitive switch generally referred to by the reference numeral 92 isdisposed in the conductor 9@ and includes an actuator 94 for `closingspaced contacts (not shown) within the switch 92 in response to downwardmovement ofV the forward marginal edgerportion 33. It will be understoodthat the Y frame 16 is mounted in the opening 12 in a manner whereby apredetermined amount of Weight positioned on the frame .i6 will effectsufficient downward movevment of the forward marginal portion 38 of theframeY 16 to depress the actuator 94 whereby the motor 76 will beactuated. The electrical heating element 82 may beV connected in seriesto either one of the conductors 88 and 90 whereby it may be actuatedtogether with the motor 76 in response to downward movement of the'actuator 94 of the switch '92. p Y

'lf it -is desired, a manually operable switch may be operativelyassociated with the electrical heating element S2 in a manner wherebythe heating element 82 may be temporarily disconnected from the kswitch92 during the .seasons whenthe operation of the heating element S2 willnot be required. The heating velement 82 and the -blower assembly mayalso be used to dry shoes in wet weatherand may also be used for dryingclothes. Further, the plug members 46 may be removed and a hose .may besecured at one end to the end portions 86 whereby .the hose may then beused as a hair dryer.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles. ofthe invention. Further, since numerous 4modifications and changes willreadily occur to those .skilled in the art, it is not desired -to limitthe invention to 'the exact construction and operation shown anddescribed, and yaccordingly all suitable modications and equivalents maybe resorted to, falling within the scope-'of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. A vacuum door mat comprising .a mounting frame adapted to be recessedin an opening in Va section of ooring, said mounting frame comprising anopen topped receptacle having opposite side and end walls connectedtogether at their lower ends by means of an in clined bottom wall, aplurality of elongated at bar-like support heads extending and securedbetween opposite side walls of said receptacle, at least some of saidbar heads including upstanding bristles, said heads being slightlyrotated about their longitudinal axes and slightly downwardly inclinedat corresponding side edges, vacuum outlet means communicated with thelower end of said bottom wall, and vacuum blower means including aninlet conduit communicated with said outlet means.

2. The combination of claim l wherein said vacuum blower means includesoutlet means provided with iilter trap means for collecting the dirtremoved from shoes by said door mat.

3. The combination of claim l wherein said mounting frame includes 'apair of inwardly directed opposing elongated brush members extendingalong opposite marginal edge portions and projecting upwardly above saidbrush heads adapted to remove dirt from the sides of shoes supported bysaid frame.

4. The combination of claim l wherein side edges of `said bar-like headsoverlap the side edges of adjacent bar-like heads Iand are spacedvertically therefrom.

5. The combination of claim l wherein said vacuum blower means includesoutlet means provided with lter trap means for collecting the dirtremoved from shoes by said door mat, said vacuum blower means includingmotor means, said Yframe including Vweight responsive switch meansoperatively connected to said motor means and operable in response toweight disposed on said frame for efiectingoperation lof said motormeans. Y

6. The combination of claim l including `atleast one upwardly openingoutlet means carried by one lend of said "frame, second blower meansincludingy discharge conduit means connected with said outlet means,heater means in said discharge conduit means, said second blow,- ermeans operatively connected to said motor means, said heater means beingdisposed in an electrical actuating circuit, and switch meansoperatively connected to said yactuating circuit for closing thelatterin response to weight being placed on said frame.

7.` The combination of claim l wherein said bar-like support heads'areinclined downwardly toward the lowerV end ot' said bottom wall.

References Cited in the file lot this patent v UNITED STATES PATENTS

